Key Contacts: Eoghan Doyle – Head of Corporate and M&A | Andrew Tzialli – Partner |
Philip Lee is delighted to introduce the tenth edition of the Philip Lee LLP M&A Insights Guide produced by our Corporate and M&A team in association with Experian.
In this edition, we examine deal activity throughout 2025 and consider the outlook for 2026. This guide has been created in partnership with Experian, a global data and technology company, using their comprehensive database of business and financial information which monitors and tracks the behaviour of businesses in the UK and Ireland. The insight is generated from processing over 60 million records a month, taken from over 600 of the latest and most up-to-date sources of UK and international business data. This data is trusted and used daily by over 35,000 organisations to inform their business decision making. The Experian database utilised for this guide holds more than 600,000 global M&A transactions, supported by data from more than 250 of the world’s foremost professional advisory firms. Our latest reel highlights some of the standout findings from both markets. Please click the button below.
Ireland
Ireland’s M&A market in 2025 experienced a year of moderated activity, reflecting broader global investment caution yet demonstrating relative resilience compared with the UK. While deal volumes fell by 14.9% and aggregate deal value declined by 12.7%, the Irish market continued to attract strong international attention particularly across the
Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT), Manufacturing, and Professional Services sectors.
UK and US acquirors remained especially active, and despite softer private equity activity, Ireland sustained meaningful investor interest, including significant strategic acquisitions and notable PE backed transactions. This balanced performance underscores Ireland’s continued appeal as a stable and innovation focused investment environment amid shifting global market conditions.
UK
The UK M&A market faced a more subdued year in 2025, with overall transaction volumes declining compared with 2024. Aggregate deal value contracted more sharply, underscoring a more restrained approach from both strategic and financial buyers. Despite these pressures, the UK continued to attract significant international interest, most notably from US acquirors across the TMT, Manufacturing and Professional Services sectors. London remained the principal centre of activity, supported by ongoing private equity backed consolidation, even as overall PE volumes moderated.
